Attention Cycling Enthusiasts

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Queen City Bike today sent out an email
asking for help in convincing St. Bernard Service Director Phil
Stegman why including a climbing lane on Mitchell Avenue between Vine Street and Reading Road is important
to the area's cycling infrastructure. According to QCB, St. Bernard's
engineers prefer to keep 10 feet of space for parking rather than use
8 feet for parking and include the bike lane. The city of Cincinnati,
which owns half the road, needs St. Bernard to sign off on the
infrastructure improvement, according to QCB.

Climbing lanes contribute to safer
cycling conditions by marking parts of roads where cyclists will
naturally be traveling at slower speeds, helping to provide awareness
for cars that will pass cyclists going up hills.

Queen City Bike included a draft email
to be personalized and sent to Stegman, along with St. Bernard Mayor
William Burkhardt; St. Bernard Councilperson John Estep, Chair,
Transportation Committee, City of St. Bernard; Councilperson Roxanne
Qualls, Chair, Transportation Subcommittee, City of Cincinnati; and
Queen City Bike President Frank Henson.

The following is the draft provided by
QCB:

DRAFT E-MAIL MESSAGE FOR YOUR
PERSONALIZATION:

E-MAIL ADDRESSES (copy into your e-mail
program):

TO: service@cityofstbernard.org

CC:

bburkhardt@cityofstbernard.org;

jestep@cityofstbernard.org;

roxanne.qualls@cincinnati-oh.gov;

queencitybike09@gmail.com

TEXT TO MODIFY:

Phil Stegman, Director, Service Department, City of St. Bernard

Dear Mr Stegman,

I am writing to urge you to work with
the City of Cincinnati to add a bike lane to Mitchell Avenue by
allowing 8 feet for parking rather than 10 feet on the St. Bernard
side of the street.

This minor change would allow a bike
lane to be added to the uphill side of Mitchell, making it possible
for bicyclists to use this important street to get to and from North
Avondale, Hyde Park and points east from St. Bernard, and to
Cincinnati neighborhoods to the west and north. Changes have
already been made or are being planned for Dana Avenue and Spring
Grove, leaving Mitchell as a critical gap in the regional bicycle
street network.

A bike lane would also make St. Bernard
a more desirable place to live for Xavier University students who
want to live in a green, healthy community that encourages and
supports active lifestyles. Bicycles on the street are a sign of a
desirable place to live for young people, and can be an important
part of revitalizing neighborhood business districts. Clifton,
Northside, and O'Bryonville are all areas where bike lanes are making
a real difference.

Can you confirm that you will work with
the City of Cincinnati to allow a bike lane to be added to Mitchell
Avenue this year?

Sincerely,

Gary Wright

Over the Rhine, Cincinnati

Queen City Bike Board Member

CC:

Mayor William Burkhardt, City of St.
Bernard

Councilperson John Estep, Chair,
Transportation Committee, City of St. Bernard